Satsuki’s Bento Recipe from My Neighbor Totoro (Ghibli)
Screenshot of Satsuki’s Bento from the movie ‘My Neighbor Totoro' // 皐月の弁当 (となりのトトロ)
What is a bento?
Have you ever had a meal that looks too beautiful to eat? If so, then you may have experienced the art of bento making. Bento is effectively a single-portion takeout meal that originated from Japan centuries ago, and has since become one of the nation’s most popular dishes. A typical bento box includes rice or noodles with either fish or meat and pickled vegetables as sides – but it’s also so much more than that! Keep reading to learn all about what goes into this simple but satisfying meal.
About Totoro
Since its release in 1988, the animation film My Neighbor Totoro has gained countless fans of all ages. From its memorable characters to its imaginative story line, it's no wonder this classic Studio Ghibli film quickly made an impact and remains a favorite amongst viewers to this day. Its one of my favorite Ghibli films so I was very excited to recreate the bento from the film!
Ingredients
Let’s make a bento box together! You can find most of these ingredients from a local Japanese market.
Edamame
Edamame beans can be spicy, salty, or sweet depending on seasoning added during preparation. Edamame is usually served in its pod but can also be shelled for easier eating. Nutritionally, edamame are high in protein and dietary fiber as well as many vitamins and minerals.Umeboshi
Umeboshi or pickled plum is a dish commonly consumed in Japan that has a distinctive and salty flavor. The plums are preserved through the process of salting, fermenting, and drying in the sun, which gives them their tartness as well as their intense red hue. Umeboshi is typically made from ume fruit – a type of Japanese plum blossom or apricot. Umeboshi may be eaten plain, or used to garnish rice dishes like onigiri or ochazuke (rice mixed with tea) for those seeking an extra kick of flavor.Sakura Denbu
Sakura denbu is a sweet and savory fish condiment made of red sugar and bonito fish flakes. It's a type of furikake, a traditional Japanese topping used to add flavor and texture to dishes like onigiri rice balls and various sides. Sakura denbu is perhaps the most iconic furikake variety and can be easily found in most Japanese food stores or supermarkets all around the world.
Satsuki’s Bento from My Neighbor Totoro // 皐月の弁当 (となりのトトロ)
What you’ll need:
- 1.5 cups cooked white shortgrain rice
- 4 ounce of edamame
- 2 tbsp sakura denbu
- 1 smoked mackeral
- 1 umeboshi
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Begin by cooking your shortgrain rice until fluffy. Place the cooked rice in the bento box about 1/2 way leaving room for the delicious toppings
Steam or microwave your edamame. You can find edamame frozen in a pinch. Pop the edamame out of the pods after they are cooked and neatly arrange on one quarter side of the bento.
Sprinkle the sakura denbu adjacent to the edamame.
Put the umeboshi on the other side of the rice.
Preheat the air fryer to 400. Place the mackerel in the air fryer for about 6-7 minutes flipping halfway. The mackerel I bought is already marinated but if you would like, you can season with salt.
Place the fish midway as a separator. Pack neatly and enjoy!
If you want to have a go at making a bento box yourself, Bento and Co has the best selection of bento boxes available. I got the one I used for Satsuki’s Bento from there as well. You can find this particular one if you click the link down below. You can use my code Cristina10 for 10% off, because who doesn’t like to save a little bit of money? 😉
https://en.bentoandco.com/products/magewappa-classic/?ref=cristina
I hope this was helpful, bento making is such a beautiful and thoughtful way of making a meal for someone (or yourself! ❤️) and I can’t wait to share more with you.